Scraping barnacles

[Conrad]

Any tips on what is the best way to scrape off the bottom of my boat, I will have to moor it next to a post of some description whilst the tide goes out this much I know but what is best for getting the growth off. Will a plastic icescraper be enough or is this too harsh for the bottom of my GRP boat. I may be able to get a jetwash near the boat is this the better option?

Any tips welcome

 

[VicS]

A Dutch hoe with the corners rounded off. A wallpaper knife also with corners rounded off (but dont use one that is too flexible) fixed to a stick to make a long handle if required.

Anything really, I sometimes just use one of the wooden wedges that lie around the boat yard.

One of the Wifes store cards.

 

[sarabande]

try to avoid at all costs getting cuts from barnacles. They nearly always turn septic, and are extremely deep and painful lacerations in any case. Armour plated gloves. (Lidl did some Kevlar ones a while ago, but any decent butchers stockist will have some)

 

[atelford]

May sound silly but I always used an old credit card... so a plastic scrapper would probably be ok. Credit card can take a long time though but wont leave gouges in the hull.

 

[Pye_End]

[ QUOTE ]
Will a plastic icescraper be enough or is this too harsh for the bottom of my GRP boat.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly what I use for most of it.

However, for slime etc. you will need a scrubbing pad of some form.

 

[pampas]

Wish mine would come of with a credit card. need a hammer and chisel down ere me ansome. That or somebody else to do it must be the slightly warmer water, dig rims into glass looks like the surface of the moon. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[longjohnsilver]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Will a plastic icescraper be enough or is this too harsh for the bottom of my GRP boat.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly what I use for most of it.

Same here, even better if you can do it underwater, much quicker and they come off much easier.


[/ QUOTE ]

 

[sarabande]

Sudden thought...

As a child on the eternally sunny beach, we used to collect limpets from the rocks at low tide by dribbling a little water with pepper in it. The poor old things used to pop off the rocks ....

Anyone tried throwing a bucket of chilli over the barnacles first ?

PhD title - the role of piperacea in dislocating Orthogastropoda in South East England.

 

[l'escargot]

[ QUOTE ]
Sudden thought...

As a child on the eternally sunny beach, we used to collect limpets from the rocks at low tide by dribbling a little water with pepper in it. The poor old things used to pop off the rocks ....

Anyone tried throwing a bucket of chilli over the barnacles first ?

PhD title - the role of piperacea in dislocating Orthogastropoda in South East England.

[/ QUOTE ]
Limpets hold themselves on with a muscle and will drop off when dead, barnacles cement themselves on and dead ones will stay stuck.

My local boat yard uses an od plastic dinghy oar with good results.

 

[yoda]

Garden hoe is excellent as you can put lots of grunt into it and keep hands away from barnacles.

yoda

 

[William_H]

What is important is that you take a range of devices with you for the project. I use a scotch brite for boat cleaning in the water but have available a piece of metal scraper for the barnacles. That is for what you might call a clean boat. (once per week job here when the a/f has got a bit old.

However for a bad encrustation you need mass for inertia in your scraper. As said a dutch hoe will allow you to stand back and scrape but for close in heavy I use what is called a bricklayers Bolster. That is a wide cold chisel. It is very heavy and will smash the barnacles off. Of course they leave a bit of shell attached. This can be removed with an acid before repainting.

Another favourite device is a diving knife from which I have ground the point to give a 1 inch wide chisel. Wear old clothes olewill

 

[lw395]

I find one of the most useful tools is a flexible plastic ruler, it curves to fit the hull and scrapes a wide area. Just don't use it as a ruler afterwards! Good for weed and young barnacles. For bigger ones, a plastic filler knife/spatula does well.

You need a variety of tools, what is best seems to vary from day to day/hull to hull/fouling etc.
Also good are wet and dry sponge blocks, scotchbrite pads
Enjoy your day!

 

[Conrad]

Thanks one and all advice much appreciated.

Conrad

 

[patturner]

I USE A BUTCHERS FLOOR SCRAPER. THE BLADE IS FLEXIBLE ENOUGH NOT TO SCRATCH BOTTOM AND THE LONG HANDLE GIVES GOOD LEVERAGE AND SAVES A LOT OF BENDING DOWN.

 

[LittleSister]

I seem to recall Charlie Stock recommending (in 'Sailing Just for Fun') the upturned empty tin from a Fray Bentos steak and kidney pudding for just such purposes.